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On the 26th of March it is the 200th anniversary of my great, great grandfather, Charles Hopkins, becoming the first of my family to be a member of the London Stock Exchange. His father before him was a Naval carpenter.

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It was an interesting time to become a stockbroker. He joined during the Panic of 1825-26, considered the first fully modern financial crisis in Britain and the most severe banking collapse of the nineteenth century. It followed a period of easy credit after the Napoleonic wars, heavy speculation in Latin American bonds and mining ventures for Gold and Silver. Stock speculation was rife.  The crash led to a depression, compounded by a poor harvest which reduced grain supplies and drove up prices. It all sounds awfully familiar. The crisis led to banking reforms that reshaped British finance for decades. The first investment trust was not established until 1868.

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Capel Court was the site of the first purpose-built home of the London Stock Exchange.  Opened in 1801 near the Bank of England, it served as the central hub for trading for over 150 years before the Exchange moved to its current location in Paternoster Square. Back then trading took place physically on the exchange floor and only members, stockbrokers and jobbers were allowed inside. Stockbrokers acted for clients and Jobbers were market makers. It was highly exclusive and relationship driven and operated more like a private club. “Big Bang” in 1986 brought in an era of electronic trading and open access, effectively moving away from the club model to one with a more modern corporate structure.

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His son, my great grandfather, Edward, (which is actually my first name,) followed his father onto the exchange.  He married Gertrude Scott and it was their children who hyphenated the names. The old adage of “from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” became fact when Edward told his three sons they would never need to work again. Clifford, my grandfather, who fought in the second Boer war and the First World War, took him to him to his word and became, as those with a private income were known, a “Gentleman.” He very much enjoyed the trappings of life, ensuring there was nothing left on his death. Maybe this was his idea of financial planning as he managed to avoid Estate Duty, the earlier form of IHT.  

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My father, Clive, subsequently went out to work, joining the newly established Towry Law at a time when financial planning and advice as we know it, was in its infancy. This firm has subsequently been sold several times, becoming Tilney Bestinvest, then Evelyn Partners and very recently, Nat West/Coutts.

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Today there is EXE Capital Management, and I am delighted that my son, Bertie, has continued in the tradition of stockbroking, although today it is better known as investment management. Our Private Investment Office was created as a family office to look after families, combining our skills in financial advice and discretionary fund management. Our 200 years of advising private clients was interrupted by my grandfather, but at least we have first-hand experience of understanding the importance of preserving wealth through the generations.

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Alongside Investment Management,  we offer a comprehensive range of complimentary services to support our client’s broader financial objectives.  Click her to view.

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